Description of Goloka

1 Sri Narada said: Asked by whom, and for what reason did Lord Krsna, the master of the universes, come to the earth? O best of the knowers of the Vedas, please tell.

2 Sri Narayana Rsi said: In ancient times, during the Varaha-kalpa, bearing a great burden and filled with grief, the earth took shelter of the demigod Brahma.

3 Accompanied by hosts of demigods, who were all unhappy at heart to be so troubled by the demons, she went to the assembly of Brahma, which is very difficult to attain.

4 There she saw Brahma, the king of the demigods, who shone with spiritual power, who was cheerfully served by the kings of the rsis, munis and siddhas…

5 …who happily smiled as he glanced at the Apsaras dancing and listened to the Gandarvas beautiful singing,…

6 …and who chanted the two most sacred syllables Krs-na, the hairs of his body erect and his eyes filled with tears of the ecstasy of devotion.

7 O sage, accompanied by the demigods, the earth goddess then devotedly offered here respectful obeisances to four-faced Brahma and told him how she was burdened by the demons.

8 The hairs of her body erect and her eyes filled with tears, she offered prayers and wept. Brahma, the creator of the universe said to her: Why do you offer prayers and weep?

9 O beautiful one, why have you come? Please tell. It will be auspicious. Be steady. O beautiful one, why are you afraid of me?

10 Brahma comforted the earth-goddess and then respectfully asked the demigods, why have you come to me?

11 Hearing Brahma’s words, the demigods said to Prajapati Brahma: O Lord, the earth is overcome by the demons and we also are in the demons’ grip.

12 You are the creator of the worlds. Please stop (the demons). O Brahma, the earth has taken shelter of you. You should stop (the demons).

13 O grandfather, the earth is now tormented by the burden (of many demons). We are also tortured by them. Please remove the burden (they have brought).

14 After hearing the demigods’ words, Brahma, the creator of the worlds said to the earth-goddess: Child, throw your fears far away. Stand happily before me.

15 O Lotus-eyed one, who has brought this burden you cannot bear? O beautiful one, I will take away your burden. Things will be auspicious for you. That is certain.

16 When she heard these words, even though she was anxious and unhappy, she made her eyes and face cheerful and she anxiously spoke to him.

17 The earth goddess said: Father, please listen and I will tell the suffering in my heart. I cannot tell this to any but a faithful friend.

18 A weak woman should always be protected by her father, husband, sons and other relatives.

19 O father of the worlds, you created me. I am not shy to tell you. Listen, and I will tell you who has brought the burden that crushes me.

20 I cannot bear the burden of carrying great sinners that have no devotion to Lord Krsna and that blaspheme the devotees.

21 I am crushed by carrying the burden of they who do not perform their religious duties, who never do what they should, and who have no faith in the Vedas.

22 I cannot carry the burden of they who do not maintain their father, mother, guru, wife, sons and grandsons.

23 I am crushed by the burden of carrying they who speak lies, who have neither mercy nor truth, and who insult their spiritual masters.

24 I am crushed by the burden of carrying they who become enemies to their friends, who are ungrateful, who bear false witness, who are faithless, and who rob what is given them to protect.

25 I am crushed by the burden of carrying they who sell the auspicious Vedic prayers and hymns and the most auspicious name of Lord Hari.

26 I am crushed by carrying the burden of murderers, they who become enemies of their spiritual master, brahmanas who misuse the Vedic rituals, they who hunt animals, they who have transformed their body into a crematorium for burning the flesh of dead animals, and brahmanas who eat what sudras offer them.

27 I am crushed by the burden of carrying the fools who hinder the performance of worship, yajna, fasting, vows and sense-control.

28 I am crushed by carrying the burden of sinners who hate the cows, brahmanas, demigods, Vaisnavas, Lord Hari and devotion to hearing the glories of Lord Hari.

29 O Brahma, these demons crush me even more than Sankhacuda crushed me in the past.

51 Carefully reassuring them, Brahma and Siva then sent the earth-goddess and the demigods to their homes.

52 Then Brahma and Siva at once went to Yamaraja’s palace. After some thought, all three went to Lord Hari’s abode,…

53 …the supreme realm of Vaikuntha, where old-age and death do not exist, which is situated in the spiritual sky above the material universes,…

54 …which is ten million yojanas above Brahmaloka, which is eternal, which poets and philosophers cannot describe, which is wonderful, and which is made of jewels.

Note: a yojana is equal to eight miles.

55 Travelling at the speed of mind, they went to that beautiful place, where the royal paths are paved with rubies and sapphires. Entering Lord Hari’s palace, the three demigods saw Lord Hari,…

56 …who sat on a jewel throne, was decorated with jewel ornaments, and was splendid with jewel bracelets, armlets, and anklets,…

57 …whose cheeks were splendid with jewel earrings, who wore yellow garments, who was decorated with a forest garland,…

58 …who was peaceful, who was dear to Sarasvati, whose lotus feet were massaged by Laksmi, who was playful as millions of Kamadevas, who smiled, who had four arms,…

59 …who was served by His associates Sunanda, Nanda, and Kumuda, whose entire body was anointed with sandal paste, and who was splendid with a beautiful jewel crown.

60 To Lord Hari, whose form was full of transcendental bliss, and who was overcome with kindness to the devotees, the three demigods headed by Brahma bowed down, O sage, with devotion.

61 Overcome with transcendental bliss, the hairs of the bodies erect, and their necks bowed with devotion, they offered prayers with great devotion.

62 Sri Brahma said: I offer my respectful obeisances to the infallible and peaceful Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the beloved of Laksmi and the master of all. We demigods are parts of the parts of the parts of the parts of the parts of Him.

63 O Lord untouched by matter, the Manus, the kings of sages, the human beings, and the moving and unmoving entities are parts of the parts of the parts of the parts of You.

64-65 Sri Siva said: Who has the power to properly glorify You, the immortal and imperishable Supreme Personality of Godhead, who are the supreme controller and enjoyer, beginningless, the beginning of all, whose form is filled with bliss, whose form contains everything, who is the origin of the mystic perfections beginning with anima, who is the cause of all, whose knowledge is perfect, who grants perfection, and who is the form of perfection?

66 Sri Yamaraja said: Who has the power to describe that being whom the wise say is the topic of the Vedas, but whom the Vedas fail to describe?

67 The (material mind) can understand forms created by the modes of material nature, but You are not touched by the modes of nature. How can I offer prayers to You?

68 O great sage, a person who reads these prayers of the demigods headed by Brahma, prayers spoken in eloquent verse, become free from difficulties and attains his desire.

69 After hearing the demigods’ prayers, Lord Hari said to them: You go to Goloka and I will follow with goddess Laksmi.

70 Nara-Narayana, who live in Svetadvipa, will go to Goloka, and goddess Sarasvati will also go.

71 Ananta, My Maya, Karttikeya, Ganesa and Savitri, the mother of the Vedas, will also follow.

72 Here I am with Laksmi and My associates headed by Sunanda. There I am two-armed Krsna, with Radha and the gopis.

73 I am Narayana and I am Krsna. I am the Lord whom resides in Svetadvipa. All the demigods headed by Brahma are considered My partial expansions.

74 The living entities headed by the demigods, demons, and human beings are parts of the parts of the parts of the parts of Me. You go to Goloka and your goal will be accomplished (in the end).

75 To fulfil your desire, we will follow you. After speaking these words in the assembly, Lord Hari became silent.

76 Bowing down, all the demigods went to Goloka, the wonderful transcendental abode, which is free of old-age, and death,…

77 …and which, by the wish of the all-powerful Lord, is situated five hundred million yojanas above Vaikuntha in the spiritual sky.

78 The demigods were eager to go to that place beyond description. Travelling at the speed of mind, they all went to the shore of the Viraja river.

79 The demigods became filled with wonder when they saw that beautiful and broad riverbank splendid with pure crystal,…

140-44 …and one billion beautiful asramas of they who, purified by austerities in a hundred births, became very firm devotees on earth in Bharata-varsa, awake or asleep rapt in meditation on Lord Hari, and chanting “Radha-Krsna! Krsna!” day and night, asramas made of many jewels, filled with many delightful things, splendid with flower couches, flower garlands, white camaras, jewel mirrors, many sapphires, curtains of fine cloth, and roofs decorated with many domes made of priceless jewels.

145 After gazing at this wonderful place, the (three) demigods went a little further and happily saw a beautiful and eternal banyan tree,…

146 …five yojanas across and twice as many high, with a thousand trunks and countless branches,…

147 …and beautiful with jewel platforms and many ripe jewel fruits. At the root of that tree the demigods saw many cowherd boys who had forms like Lord Krsna,…

148 …and who were dressed in yellow garments, attached to playing, handsome, decorated with jewel ornaments, and all of whose limbs were anointed with sandal paste.

149 The demigods gazed at these close associates of Lord Hari and then looked far away at the beautiful royal path,…

156-8 Then, seeing in the distance a beautiful place surrounded by a moat and jewel walls with sixteen gates guarded by gatekeepers, splendid with jewel stairways, beautiful curtains more pure than fire, mirrors, white camaras, wonderful jewel beds, and flower garlands and anointed with sandal, aguru, musk, and kunkuma, the demigods became very eager to proceed.

159 O Narada, after going a short distance they saw the beautiful asrama of Radha, who is the queen of the rasa dance,…

160 …the queen of the demigods, the best of the gopis, and She who to Lord Krsna is more dear than life, a beautiful, beautiful asrama,…

161 ..that was completely indescribable, that no great pandita could describe, that was a great circle of six gavyutis,…

Note: A gavyuti is equal to two miles.

162 …that had a hundred palaces, shone with the splendour of many jewels, was made of the best of the best of priceless jewels,…

163 …was beautiful with many impassable deep moats, filled with a hundred flower gardens and many kalpa-vrksa trees, constructed with many jewels, surrounded by great walls,…

165 …and a series of seven gates that led, one after the other, to a place of sixteen gates.

166 Gazing at this great wall as tall as a thousand bows and splendidly beautiful with many small jewel domes, the (three) demigods became filled with wonder.

167 Keeping it on their right, they happily went a small distance behind that asrama.

168 There they saw a billion asramas of many gopas and gopis.

169 They gazed again and again at the beautiful, beautiful ever new asramas of the gopas and gopis.

170 After thus seeing all of Goloka, the demigods returned to the beautiful circle of Vrndavana forest.

171 The demigods saw the mountain of a hundred peaks and went past it to the Viraja river. When they went past the Viraja river they saw nothing more.

172-3 Thus the demigods gazed at auspicious, wonderful, spiritual Goloka, which had a thousand lakes, which was made of jewels, and which, by the will of Lord Krsna and the wisdom of Sri Radha, was situated in the spiritual sky. The demigods then gazed at the beautiful dancing they saw there.

174 Then. O sage, as they heard beautiful, beautifully rhythmic, nectar songs there about the glories of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, the demigods fainted.

175 Regaining consciousness in a moment, and their thoughts now fixed on Lord Krsna, the demigods gazed at the many beauties and wonders there in place after place.

176 They saw all the beautiful gopis dressed in many different kinds of garments, some with mrdangas in their hands, some with vinas in their hands,…

177 …some with camaras in their hands, some with karatalas in their hands, some with various musical instruments in their hands, some making their jewel anklets tinkle melodiously,…

178 …some making a whole network of jewel ornaments tinkle, some spontaneously dancing as they carried jugs on their heads,…

179 …some dressed as men with others dressed as their heroines, some dressed as Krsna with others dressed as Radha,…

180 …some in the mood of separation, and others happily embracing each other. As they gazed at these playful gopis, the (three) demigods smiled.

181 O Narada, going a little further, they saw the asramas of Radha’s friends, and then the homes of Her dearest friends,…

182 …who in beauty, virtues, dress, appearance, youthful spirit, good fortune, and age were just like Her.

183 Now please hear the names of Sri Radha’s thirty-three gopi friends, who are beyond description.

All articles, books, pictures, and audio files in this site are the property of Radha.name or their respective owners.
Opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily reflecting the opinion of Radha.name.